


Goodbye

by Squeemish



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet, Canon Divergence, Episode: s07e25 What You Leave Behind, Ficlet, M/M, trying to tell the lizard about your feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 18:23:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13687260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squeemish/pseuds/Squeemish
Summary: The last scene between Julian and Garak with a slightly different ending.





	Goodbye

The horror swept through Julian in cold waves. Eight billion dead. What hurt Julian the most, was the look in Garak’s eyes. First a mix of rage and bitterness, then defeat. His clumsy comfort wasn’t helpful, and the forced calm Garak summoned for Julian’s sake was somehow even worse. 

"You've been such a good friend.” Garak whispered, “I'm going to miss our lunches together."  A goodbye. He’d known it would come, and yet it felt so sudden.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again." Julian slurred out the words, sticky and wrong in his mouth, and smiled, desperate to give Garak just a hint of hope. 

"I'd like to think so. But, one can never say." He didn’t seem convinced, and Julian frowned. Garak placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

"We live in uncertain times." He said, and began to pull away. 

The pain made Julian ill; It churned in his stomach, and his chest, clawed it’s way to his throat.

"Garak."

Garak stopped and looked at Julian over his shoulder, eyes glazed behind the polite smile. Julian walked to him. Reached for his hand, tentative, tracing his fingers over the back of it, and curled his fingers around Garak’s. He opened his mouth, and no words came. They were heavier, covered in years of doubt and thus always caught too far from his tongue. So he pushed. Allowed the shaky exhale. With it the words spilled out in a small, broken voice.

"I love--" 

Garak's hand shot up to lightly press against his lips. Eyes tightly shut, he shook his head and moved his palm to cup Julian's cheek. 

"My dear Doctor." Garak said, quiet and rough as he caressed Julian's cheekbone with his thumb. Tears stuck to Julian's lashes, and when one dropped on to his flushed cheek, it was gently brushed aside.

Then the hand pulled away. Footsteps, and the door opening. Closing.

Gone.

Julian sagged against the wall, fist pressed to chest, and gasped a choked breath into his lungs.

He wanted to cry out,  _to scream_ , rip away the tight strings around his heart. He wanted Garak to come with him to Deep Space 9. He wanted to stay. He wanted to meet him for the first time again, start over, do it better. Say yes. Or ask himself, instead of waiting to be asked.

Trembling, Julian stood up straight and sighed. This is what the universe really was. Unfair and cruel. Garak had told him so, many times. Nothing to do now, but to survive and bear the messy sum of his mistakes. 

Green numbers of the console blinked at him. Each second added more to the long line. Eleven. Three. Nine. More and more. Julian shut his eyes, and behind closed lids saw the replimat, bright and warm. Hands on his shoulders.

 

 _Yes_.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> A Valentine's Day ficlet! Basic fluff. Do tell me if you liked.


End file.
